Maryam Akmal was a senior policy analyst with the global education team at the Center for Global Development. Her work focuses on the use of data and evidence to inform education policy. She has a particular interest in early grade learning and educational inequity. In a previous role, she did research and policy analysis for the RISE (Research on Improving Systems of Education) program. Prior to CGD, she worked with the Society for Advancement of Education in Pakistan on local education policy issues. Akmal holds a Master in Public Policy from Georgetown University and a BA in Economics from Oberlin College.